Disclaimer: the posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

CCTV - de Menezes - more police 'lies'?

London Underground sources insisted that at least three of the four cameras trained on the Stockwell Tube platform were in full working order.

This appears to contradict police assertions that 'technical problems' meant no footage exists of the innocent Brazilian's final moments before he was killed by marksmen after being wrongly identified as a potential suicide bomber.

The sources also rejected suggestions that the cameras had not been fitted with new tapes after police took away footage from the previous day, July 21, when suspects in the failed bombings caught trains there...

A senior rail industry source said yesterday: "There is absolutely nothing to suggest that the CCTV cameras were not working. If a tape is taken away to be studied, it is automatically replaced."

Another official said: "At least three of the four cameras were working. There were no reports of anything wrong with them."

Extracts from a police report, however, claimed that examination of the platform cameras had produced no footage. It said: "It has been established that there has been a technical problem with the CCTV equipment on the relevant platform and no footage exists."

It said there was no footage, either, from CCTV in the carriage where Mr de Menezes was shot eight times at point-blank range.

The report said: "Although there was on-board CCTV in the train, due to previous incidents, the hard drive had been removed and not replaced."

The platform CCTV system is maintained by Tube Lines - a private sector consortium in charge of maintaining the Northern Line.

Sources at the company insist that the cameras were in working order...